and it's part fable, part clear-eyed view of nature and nurture, love and death, poverty, family, the environment. it's her first film performance. it's a small movie, make no mistake, compared to a 007 or a "lincoln," but it leaves a big mark on you. as ann curry reports tonight, the only thing more compelling than her work on screen is her story in real life. >> okay. >> all right. so this is how you do it. >> reporter: you probably don't recognize quvenzhane wallis. over a platter of crawfish, she's pure louisiana. >> you put it right there and then you suck the head. >> reporter: you are looking at the youngest person ever nominated for an academy award as best actress. and she is 9. >> how many do you really eat? >> about five pounds. i can eat about five pounds. >> really? >> reporter: quvenzhane was 6 when she played the role of hush puppy, the lead in the critically acclaimed film "beasts of the southern wild." >> in a million years when kids go to school, they'll know once there was a hush puppy and she lived with her daddy. >> reporter: she was only 5 and just beginning to read when she